1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a removable seat which can be secured in and removed from an automobile, and in particular to an unlocking portion of such seat that allows for removal of the seat from the floor of automobile.
2. Description of Prior Art
Recent years, most of van-type automobiles or recreational vehicles have been designed to allow second and/or third seats to be removed therefrom to obtain a required load-carrying space or re-installed therein for increasing seats on which fellow passengers can sit, as required in either case. For that purpose, there have been an increased number of removable seats available in most of these sorts of automobiles.
Such removable seat is, for instance, known from the U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,086, according to which, forward and backward latch members are provided at the bottom of a seat cushion or seat slide device, via a lock mechanism, for releasable engagement over the respective forward and backward strikers fixed on the floor of automobile, so that the seat can be secured in and removed from the automobile by operation of the lock mechanism. The lock mechanism of this prior art includes a generally U-shaped operating lever projecting rearwardly of the seat, which has a lock release knob operatively connected with the two backward latch members. Upward operation of this U-shaped lever actuates both two backward latch members to release their locked engagement with the respective backward strikers. Then, after releasing both two forward latch members from the respective forward strikers as well, the seat can be removed from the floor.
This conventional removable seat, however, has been with such a problem that the operating lever, due to its rearward projection, will be easily contacted with a foot or shoe of a passenger sitting on a rear seat behind this kind of removable seat, and, in a worst case, it is highly possible that the rear-seat passenger will place his or her foot or shoe under the U-shaped operating lever and kick it up, resulting in an inadvertent lock release operation of the lock mechanism to make the seat unstable.
Hitherto solution to this problem has been merely by locating the operating lever at a lowest possible level close to the surface of floor, thereby narrowing a space between the lever and floor enough to prevent invasion of the foot or shoe therein and thus avoid any lock release operation of operating lever. But, such narrowed space between the operating lever and floor is found defective in that a user can hardly insert his fingers therein to grasp the lever, which deteriorates usability aspect in this solution.
In view of the above-stated drawbacks, it is a primary purpose of the present invention to provide an improved removable seat which prevents an unlocking lever against contact with a foot or shoe of a person and further permits the unlocking lever to be easily operated.
In order to achieve such purpose, in a removable seat securable to and removable from a floor of an automobile via a lock means including an unlocking lever means projecting rearwardly of the seat, wherein the unlocking lever means is operable to actuate said lock means in an unlocking direction to release the seat from a locked engagement with the floor, there is arranged, in accordance with the present invention, a bar means rearwardly of the seat such as to surround said unlocking lever means.
Accordingly, the unlocking lever means is not only protected by such bar means against contact with a foot or shoe of a person, but also a user can grasp both said bar means and unlocking lever means with his or her one hand to easily actuate the lock means in the foregoing locking direction, with a small force.
Preferably, the bar means may be positioned above the floor at such a level that not only prevents the foot or shoe of a person against contact with said unlocking lever means, but also permits the unlocking lever means to be located at a position where a user can grasp the unlocking lever with his or her one hand.
As one aspect of the present invention, the unlocking lever means may comprises a generally U-shaped unlocking lever having a handle portion and a pair of lateral portions, and the bar means be of a generally xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shape larger than a whole size of such unlocking lever, including a main bar section and a pair of bar sections. In this instance, the bar means may be fixedly provided under the seat by fixing a part of each of the two bar sections thereof to the seat cushion, such that another remaining part of each of the same two bar sections and main bar section extend along the handle and two lateral portions of unlocking lever in a spaced-apart relation therewith.
Other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the descriptions hereinafter, with reference to the annexed drawings.